AFFIDAVIT

SUSAN SIMMEL
[address deleted]

August, 1989

I became involved in Scientology in 1978. I was attracted to the
camaraderie, and impressed with the apparent importance and size of
the movement. Like the promotion had stated, I too envisioned a
better world without crime, insanity, or war. I was hopeful in
improving the state of mankind. I was equally excited by the prospect
of becoming a kind of spiritual super-human with abilities that mere
mortals have only dreamed about. I was promised that Scientology and
its technology had all the answers, and was the only way to achieve
total freedom; LRH had mapped the only route. This was all possible
because of the genius of LRH; the tech was his great sacrifice and
gift to man.

I was urged to join staff, and did so, because staff members were
doing a great service and would also get their services for free. I
lasted only 3 months because I could not afford the job. I was quick
to discover that staff members were not getting their "free" services.
Leaving staff was frowned upon by the group.

By this time I had dropped all my former (ordinary) friends, proceeded
to alienate my family, looked at all non-Scientologists as I was told
to -- like stupid, unaware, dramatizing degenerates -- and looked at
tile world through the veil of Scientology.

My new husband and myself moved to L.A. so that he could become a
professional auditor which was a much-needed and greatly appreciated
job that was looked upon very highly by LRH. An auditor, it was said,
would make a lot of money. I thought I had married a guy that was
going to be incredibly respected in society, and very well paid in his
profession. I worked, and he studied. I was offered a job by the
Guardian's Office as a receptionist-plant in an office in San
Francisco where I would keep my ears open and relay information back
to the Church. As a newlywed, I turned the job down.

We lived for the next seven years in my in-law's basement. We did so
because the rapidly rising costs of Scientotogy services made it
impossible to move out. There was a lot of pressure to not spend ANY
money on anything except Scientology. My husband's prestigious
position as an auditor proved implausible. Any prospects he had were
swiftly swayed to receive services elsewhere, like at an Org, and the
Church's policy of "field auditing" was changing, making it difficult
to work as an auditor. We eventually gave up on the idea of earning a
living this way.

Our daughter was born, and I was pressured to obey LRH's preference of
no breastfeeding of babies. I went so far as to write him personally
and query his position, but he reiterated his preference. Our
daughter's front baby teeth were destroyed by LRH's baby formula which
required barley water, milk, and corn syrup.

There was a fast and furious rumor line in the Chicago area around
that period of time. There were cliques, intense competition between
people and their positions in Scientology, and competition between the
Mission and the Church. Everyone knew everyone else's business. Amid
this atmosphere, I made a grave mistake. In my desire to "keep
Scientology working", I wrote-up a local opinion leader due to my
doubts about his credibility. Trouble began, people quit talking to
me, my husband was forced to leave his business, and the group tried
to convince him that I was suppressive. I was publicly humiliated by
being forced to answer to their contrived inquisition. My reputation
was slow to recover, and was really never the same. I had never known
upset greater than at that time. I had never been treated so coldly
or judged so harshly. I had entrusted my life, my entire identity to
this religious group, yet I was accumulating more grief, loneliness
and despair than compassion and/or spiritual awareness. The Church
had repeatedly promised to straighten out this mess. I would tell of
my plight over and over again to any staff that came into Chicago from
any part of the country. This was always humiliating and
uncomfortable. Always they would promise to help but under the
condition that I buy services. I was talked into flying to the
Washington Org out of desperation; they would help me if I bought
$21,000 of services. I considered a second mortgage. There was heavy
pressure to do this, and I received phone calls from L.A. and Florida
well into many nights. When I finally said No, there was great, harsh
criticism and make-wrong. I was again ostracized from the group.

A very highly positioned staff member threatened me with expulsion
because I was upsetting the Scientology field. He swore at me,
screamed at me, called me names, and I was not allowed to leave the
ORG until I passed an "end rudes check" proving that I had or had not
lied. All of this degradation and humiliation was because I had
reported on a well-paying member. This treatment was confusing as I
was only obeying LRH and his rules. I spent many sleepless nights,
and experienced great upset.

Meanwhile, the prices of SCN had skyrocketed putting the cost of our
services well in excess of $100,000 each; an unattainable goal. We
knew we could never afford this as those prices increased each month.
We complained that the prices were too high, and thus called into the
Org for a "roll-back" which was designed to trace down rumors. Not
being able to afford our freedom basically meant that we were unable,
no good, and would never amount to anything. This was a devastating
realization. I began to think the SCN was not for the good of mankind
as the average person's income was even less than mine. People could
not have spiritual freedom if they did not have a bottomless
checkbook. This all made no sense.

Negative stories were surfacing about Scientology. The Church had
reorganized, people were thrown out, and the prices were ridiculous.
I felt that there was nowhere to turn. I could never be "free", but
was told that if I didn't proceed up the Bridge I was doomed, and life
would be horrible. I was an emotional wreck, my husband was an
unemployed, emotional wreck, there was no future, and life was no fun
at all. The thought of leaving the Church and becoming an ordinary
person was sickening and unthinkable. I felt like a misfit though; I
didn't fit into Scientology's mold, and didn't fit into society
anymore either. I wanted to leave it all behind me but was constantly
reminded that the only way to make it in life was through Scientology.
It was a never ending dilemma, a brainwashing. As I distanced myself,
I became more able to question the things that didn't make sense.
Where was the comfort I had sought through my religion? How could a
religion cause me so much grief and desperation? Yet, I could not
lift that Scientology veil and see the world clearly. I could not
because I had been told repeatedly by LRH that there was an advanced
level beyond my ability to recognize, OT 3, and I thought that this
might be the reason for my disaffection. I felt that once I knew this
level I would be able to leave the Church, that is, if I lived through
it, because I was not properly prepared. When I read the secret story
of OT 3 and did not die, as I had been told, I was on the long road to
recovery. I have since read the story of the advanced level OT 8, and
did not subsequently spontaneously combust either.

I have spent countless hours analyzing the effects of Scientology and
the stories of LRH. My experience with the Church shows the
malevolent side of the group. My benevolence was exploited. I am
concerned with the repercussions of exposing myself, because I know
the Church is a powerful and wealthy organization, but the truth must
be made known.